But General Manager Ned Colletti said that his inability to trade for a middle-of-the-lineup bat or a top-of-the-rotation arm over the first two days of the winter meetings has given him a greater appreciation for his team's young talent.

Colletti says he believes that top prospect Clayton Kershaw and 23-year-old right-hander Chad Billingsley will develop into the kind of pitchers that he is chasing today.

The Dodgers are being asked for multiple young players on their major league roster for top-of-the-line pitching, and Colletti said, "That could be us in two or three years, not that we would be in the same mode to deal. But that shows you the value of it. And if we believe in our scouts and our player-development people and you listen to how they talk about Clayton Kershaw, two years down the road, he might be the same guy."

So what's the worst that can happen? We start next year with a weak #2 hitter, an abyss in center field (sorry to be redundant), no power bat in the lineup, a hole at third base, and a continued dependence on Mark Hendrickson every fifth day?

Holy smokes, that sounds awful. I mean, I don't want to trade the youngsters either, but come on here, we've got to address these gaps somewhere, somehow. I don't know if a Hendickson-for-Scott Rolen trade has been suggested, but we should at least try.

And in the same article, remember this quote when the McCourts try to justify increased ticket/parking prices by touting the "new-look, Torre-enhanced" Dodgers:

"Everything's in the same boat, the same position," Colletti said. "Only thing that changed is the day on the calendar."